Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) warns: “This is a different Monza to the one we used to know”

Charles Leclerc is practically bursting with enthusiasm. Arriving at Monza as a Ferrari driver is like firing up his own personal turbocharger. And Leclerc knows the quickest way round the Monza circuit. He won from pole in 2019, secured pole position once more in 2022, and claimed his second Italian Grand Prix victory in 2024.

For Monza 2026, Leclerc and his British team-mate Lewis Hamilton are hoping that the improved Ferrari engine will help them achieve a top result in northern Italy.

Now, ahead of his 163rd Grand Prix in red, the 28-year-old says: “The simulator isn’t the best way to put an improved power unit through its paces. We’re confident this is a step in the right direction, but it would be an exaggeration to expect it to lead to a complete turnaround in the World Championship. I didn’t find it easy to precisely feel the differences between the old and new in the simulator, so I’m raring to get out on track on Friday.”

“It’s not as though we’ve merely improved the engine. We’ve also brought some new parts to Monza, and that should help us look good on a track which, on paper, isn’t the best for us.”

“If we look at the season as a whole, we’ve done a decent job. But it’s also true that there have been one or two weekends where we haven’t made the most of our potential. So the way the team manages a GP weekend is just as important as efficient aerodynamics or a powerful engine.”

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“The 2026 cars are extremely complex. That makes it harder to put in a perfect weekend. It’s simply down to the car’s design. If you fall even slightly outside the power unit’s optimal operating window, you can lose a lot of time straight away.”

“On top of that, many teams – including us – have been a little surprised by the pecking order. There have been circuits where we’ve been stronger than expected, and vice versa. And the other teams are finding the same thing.”

“I think we’re going to experience a different Monza than in the past. In the past, we’d almost come here with a different car, with a hundred changes compared to the car we used in Monaco, for example. Now the changes are much less extensive, which is down to this generation of cars. I also think driving here will be different from before, for exactly the same reason.”